Victor Valdez, owner of Precision Diamonds, left, poses inside his store on South Virginia Street. With him, from left, are family members Cruz Echeverria, Brandon Camargo and Moises Salinas.

Written by

When Victor Valdez started Precision Diamonds with a kiosk at the old Park Lane Mall, he didn't know much about what he was doing.

"Leslie Mix and other others helped," he said. "They took me by the hand and said this is what you need to do, this is who you need to network with, this is what organizations you need to be involved with."

Mix, then president of the Hispanic Business Council, pointed him to Spanish-language media outlets to spread the word about his jewelry business. ...